Living La Dolce Vita in the Persian Gulf
The city-state of Dubai plays host to one of the world’s most exciting multicultural food scenes. Segmento spoke with Howard Ko, a Dubai-based American-Korean chef, about his risotto revolution.
Sunshine, azure waters, magnificent skyline views, desert sands and the tallest building in the world, Dubai is a city with much to love.
This city is home to the world’s largest covered shopping complex, the Dubai Mall, which spans the size of fifty soccer fields. Found within the Burj Khalifa, a towering structure standing at 828 meters and comprising 163 floors, the mall houses over 1200 shops and an Olympic-sized ice-skating rink.
Arabic influence is evident across the city’s music, architecture and attire. However, with only approximately ten percent of the population being Emirati, Dubai is a veritable melting pot of global cultures and cuisines, including, of course, Italian.
This city-state has undergone immense growth, beyond the breakneck development of its skyline. Millions of migrants from developing countries, such as the Philippines and South Asian countries, have come to Dubai to earn money to send back home. Additionally, expatriates from Western countries have flocked to the Emirate seeking lucrative salaries and opulent lifestyles. Among their number are counted 16,000 Australians and 10,000 Italians.
Catering to the diverse needs of its multicultural community, Dubai has developed a uniquely varied culinary scene. To what extent has Italian culture penetrated the landscape? Who are the individuals shaping the culinary landscape?
At the Dubai Mall, a short walk from the Hyatt Dubai Creek, authentic Italian coffee and panini are available at Emporio Armani Caffe. With more than 200 luxury brands on show, you’ll find an ample representation of Italian designers, including Gucci, La Perla, Bottega Veneta, Valentino and Ferragamo, among others. Milan-based Kiko, Italy’s premier makeup and cosmetics brand, is also present and sits at number two in the Middle East.
Within Dubai’s Italian community, a number of individuals have opened Italian eateries. It won’t come as a surprise, therefore, that diners are spoilt for choice. Among them are fine-dining options from renowned establishments like Cipriani, Florentine import Chic Nonna, and restaurants and bars courtesy of the Palazzo Versace Hotel, which is reminiscent of a 16th-century Italian palace. Eataly, an Italian gourmet food institution, has four stores across Dubai, offering not only a variety of produce but also providing cooking classes, wine tastings and several dining options.
But for those wanting to feast both their stomachs and their eyes, Ce La Vi is the place to go. This terrace-level restaurant is renowned for its contemporary take on risotto and, at 200 metres above sea level, offers sweeping views of Dubai and the Gulf.
Ce La Vi’s Executive Chef, Howard Ko, hails from the US. He was born in South Korea, Seoul, arriving in America at the age of one. He fondly recalls his grandmother cooking “funky Korean dishes that smelled strange but were so delicious,” emphasizing that back then, he was embarrassed but, in hindsight, wishes he could have learned more from her.
Ko entered the hospitality industry at the age of 16, preparing sandwiches and washing dishes for his mentor Sal Marino, owner of Marino Ristorante, an Italian-Californian restaurant with a four-decade.long history.
“I began cooking out of necessity, preparing meals for my brother while my mother was at work—humble beginnings. My mom worked very hard, and that’s where I get my work ethic from,” explains Ko.
Although Ko attended culinary school, he decided to drop out after landing a job at the Michelin-starred New York restaurant Daniel, led by renowned French chef and restauranteur Daniel Boulud. He worked there on weekends for over three years before moving to another New York establishment, Picholine. Ko subsequently returned to the fold of Boulud, at Bistro Moderne in New York and later at Melisse and French Laundry in California. His sojourn in California also led him to The Restaurant at Meadowood in Napa Valley.
For Ko, however, Italian cuisine has been a constant in his upbringing. He describes it as “always comforting,” and this has also played a large part in his career.
“Working for Marino opened me up to Italian fine dining, which in my opinion, has a lot to offer. It showed me the possibilities of just how far you can take the cuisine. In every Michelin-star restaurant I have worked in, I was always making pasta, and whether in a French style or a new American concept, pasta is a blank canvas. It is fun to produce something memorable from such simple ingredients. In the words of my chef from French Laundry, ‘We are not here to feed people but to create memories!ʼ ”
Setting pasta aside, risotto is what cemented Ko’s culinary acclaim. Throughout his career, he has probably made over 100,000 risottos for several different chefs and in completely different ways. One version in particular stands out. Rather than using arborio rice, he crafts his risotto with sushi rice, providing a more contemporary twist to the classic dish. He has not altered the traditional cooking method but has instead opted to experiment with the starch content and adjust the cooking time. “In doing so, we created a dish that will be on our menu forever— truffle sushi rice risotto, butternut squash and shimeji mushroom served with a parmesan mousse and loaded with black truffle shaved at the table. This is our signature dish,” says Ko.
Mentoring his fellow chefs and trainees and establishing a legacy are critically important to Ko. “I need to create something that will outlast me—something that my cooks will hold dear. Paying it forward and training the next generation to make sure we are giving back to the demanding profession that we love so much is what it’s all about.”
